Posted in: Live Music by Lucia B on November 23rd, 2008 | 9 Comments
And here I thought the first foreign concert I’d attend to would be great. Tsk tsk.
I love Rihanna and Chris Brown’s songs… I listen to them at work along with other songs. Even though I’m not a hard core fan of these two US music celebrities, my friends and I agreed to watch this concert (held November 16, 2008 at The Fort, Taguig, Manila Philippines). I never went to see Beyonce’s concert here in Manila (which probably was more enjoyable than this concert), so i agreed to see these two perform on stage.
So anyway, I came in just in time for the start of the show. At exactly 8pm, Chris Brown started the first half of the concert. He wowed the crowd with his songs and dance moves. A lot of people were singing along with Chris Brown and was really having a great time. People were actually waiting for Rihanna to come out but just had to wait until she could.
Below is a video of Chris Brown performing “Forever”. This is perhaps the video of the song’s performance nearest to the stage uploaded in YouTube. Most of the songs he performed are very familiar to the crowd so of course they were able to sing and dance along with him.
More people kept streaming in through the entrances as the night progressed. There really were a lot of people so it was hard to look around and find my friends but eventually i was able to join them. Around 9pm Chris Brown wrapped it up and then came the long wait for Rihanna. I believe it was almost an hour before Rihanna came out. Even with the fireworks display it still seemed too long to make the audience wait that long. But as one online commentator wrote, people were removing Chris Brown’s set on stage and putting Rihanna’s so i guess an hour of waiting is acceptable.
Around 10pm Rihanna started the second half of the concert. People were really excited, happy and cheering for Rihanna as she came in and performed one of her most recent songs – Disturbia. What struck me the most was her outfit. It looked like she was only wearing just a black underwear and a black top on stage. In fairness to her, from what i saw on the big screen, her skin is really flawless.
However after browsing through a forum, i saw some pictures of her from those i suppose was at the Platinum area (I was in Silver which was already far from the stage while those in the Gold were the farthest). That’s how i learned she was at least wearing fishnet stockings and not just her “underwear”.
anonymous November 30th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
actually, the song you thought was unfamiliar is one of her oldest songs. i think most people can’t connect because they can’t appreciate a song unless they become very popular. if you were an avid fan, you’d keep track of all their released hits. the song was pon de replay followed by paper planes originally performed by MIA. and about the outfit changing.. you can never compare her to beyonce.. each artist has their own style. she doesn’t have a designer mom who’d have great outfits planned out for a concert like beyonce usually does. and the technicals are one of the few things anyone couldn’t get a hold on very prim. i mean, there are other glitches which you can never control during concerts.. you wouldn’t know unless you’ve had your time on the hotseat. i think rihanna and chris brown deserves more credit than this.
Lucia B December 10th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Yep, that’s what i also think, people couldn’t connect to her during the concert because most weren’t really hard core fans. =)
After further web browsing I noticed most of the time Rihanna wears black in her concerts. I guess that’s her signature get up (wearing anything black).
maybe December 28th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
one thing you have to realize is that it is at the fort with 17k people i think? and open field? maybe next time you should try going to the event organizer and ask for refund?
consider logistics.
Lucia B January 8th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Ah but then Maybe my friend… if it were a really enjoyable concert, most people wouldn’t notice their aching feet and tired legs… They would be full of energy even up to the time they go home. =)
2cents worth January 24th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
Being a veteran concert goer since my teen years (am now in my mid30s), I myself was surprised that this supposedly very danceable concert was such a dud…the audience can’t really connect with Rihanna (and vice-versa)…I was thinking maybe the sound system wasn’t as “powerful”…the technicians should have tweaked the sounds more in anticipation of the venue being open-air…or maybe it may be the fact that all of Rihannas songs have this “echoing vibrations of her voice” which was noticeably absent during her live-performance…hence the lackluster of it all…or the fact that Rihanna seemed to be just going through the motions without really feeling it…parang tamad na tamad na siya…
none of ya buisness February 5th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
i like rihanna and chris brown but not together =D…i jp im just sayin that kuz i love chris brown i was there right in the front but rihanna can sing and yall hater can suck ass cheeks
Lucia B February 11th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Yep Rihanna can indeed sing, nothing in this article or comments said she can’t… all we’re saying is the entire concert wasn’t as enjoyable as we had expected it should be.
Demme June 5th, 2009 at 2:05 am
Ok, Rihanna can’t sing, she may be trying to dance but man ou ant just gonna sit there and see some sucky singer dance. people shoulve just used thier money watchinf the Beyonce Experience. which became the bestConcert in manila for 2007.
Natalia December 27th, 2009 at 11:23 am
Madonna is still the best among them all. I decided not to watch the Rihanna concert anymore as I was coming in fresh from a Madonna show in America. Thank God I didn’t watch. Rihanna and Chris’ concert looked so low-tech, and musically, not much variety.
I was able to watch the Beyonce tour in 2007, but not in Manila…and boy did it suck.